Chapter 61: One Year Later 

"Boom!!"

The roaring giant water dragon and the scorching Fire Dragon Flame Bullet collided, causing a violent explosion accompanied by a large white water vapor, obscuring the view of Yu and Lord Third.

"Ugh... to be able to use such Water Release in a place without water."

"And successfully counter my Fire Release, I have to admit..."

Seeing his advanced Fire Release being blocked by Yu's Water Release Ninjutsu, Lord Third's murky and sharp gaze revealed a hint of satisfaction and admiration. "Your progress is truly making all ninjas feel inferior."

"It's not over yet..."

"Sarutobi-sensei, don't be too careless!"

However, at this moment, a voice from the dense white mist in front made Lord Third have to focus once again.

"Combination Jutsu·Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!!"

With Yu's hands forming seals once again, a huge roaring water dragon, shattering Lord Third's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, continued its formidable force, entwined with a layer of raging lightning covering it. It surged towards him!

Lightning Water Dragon Bullet—a powerful Combination Jutsu released by mixing a large amount of Lightning Release Chakra into the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet jutsu. It possesses both the impact of Water Release and the paralyzing effect of Lightning Release. In the original Fourth Great Ninja War, it was jointly released by the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī and the Fourth Raikage A.

"In just a little over a year..."

"You've already perfectly integrated Water Release and Lightning Release to this extent?"

Watching the continuously roaring and rampaging giant lightning water dragon before him, Lord Third couldn't help but be amazed once again.

Every time he thought he had already gotten used to Yu's growth rate, this monstrous young man always managed to refresh his worldview.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!!"

Amidst a rumbling roar, Lord Third abruptly pressed both hands to the ground.

The ground violently trembled, and a large expanse of rocks and soil instantly formed a solid earthen wall in front of him.

"Boom!!"

The roaring and rampaging giant lightning water dragon directly collided with it.

This advanced Earth Release Ninjutsu exhibited high resistance to both Water Release and Fire Release, but under the assault of Yu's ultra-powerful Combination Jutsu attack, it crumbled after barely lasting two seconds.

"Earth Clone?"

The entire massive earthen wall before him was shattered by his formidable Ninjutsu, but upon seeing Lord Third, who had been hit by the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet, transform into a pile of mud, Yu's expression subtly changed. "When did this happen..."

"It was just now when your vision was blocked by my Earth Release!"

"You're still too green, kid!"

At that moment, Lord Third's familiar voice echoed. Yu reflexively turned around, only to see several shurikens swiftly flying towards him in the air!

"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"

Not only that, but Lord Third, appearing next to him, swiftly formed seals with both hands.

The shurikens that had already flown in front of Yu transformed from one to two, two to four, and four to eight.

In the blink of an eye, they turned into a countless array of shurikens, instantly sealing off all escape routes for Yu.

"So fast!"

Unexpectedly, Lord Third's casting speed reached such a level. Caught off guard, Yu, who was standing still, was directly turned into a sieve.

"What?!"

But the next moment, as he looked at Yu, who had been struck by countless shurikens and had instantly turned into a puddle of water on the ground, the expression on Lord Third's face was indescribably splendid. "Water Clone? When did you form the seals?"

"Hehe... Just like you!"

"Just now, when you used Earth Release to block my vision, you also provided me with the opportunity to form the seals!"

At this moment, Yu's original form silently appeared behind Lord Third, wearing a sly smile on his face.

"You little rascal..."

Although Lord Third marveled at Yu's formidable combat talent internally, when the words reached his lips, they turned into a laughing rebuke.

"Are you two ever going to stop?!"

"Do you want to demolish the entire yard?!"

The battle was about to continue, but at this moment, a roar interrupted this exciting master-disciple duel.

"It's mealtime now, and you're still making a ruckus outside?!"

Lord Third and Yu were both startled, simultaneously shrinking their necks. They turned to see a middle-aged woman with brown hair and a serious expression standing at the entrance of the yard, hands on her hips, glaring at the two of them.

Sarutobi Biwako—Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's wife, mother of Sarutobi Asuma and Sarutobi Nissho, and also the grandmother of future Konohamaru.

"Getting an old lady angry would be a big problem... Let's call it a day for today's sparring session."

Feeling the murderous intent emanating from Sarutobi Biwako, Lord Third looked at Yu with a wry smile.

After saying this, his body turned into a mass of white smoke and slowly dissipated.

"It turns out to be a Shadow Clone!!"

Seeing this scene, Yu's sense of accomplishment instantly vanished.

"Darn it... As expected, experience comes with age..."

After more than a year of training, Yu's Chakra level finally broke through the Jonin's limits. His Chakra reserves surpassed those of an ordinary Jonin, and his practical combat experience showed significant improvement.

However, when compared to a Kage-level ninja like Lord Third, who has traversed battlefields for decades, there is still a considerable gap in the long run.

Not to mention the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu from earlier.

In the extremely brief time it took for the shurikens to be launched, Lord Third managed to form a total of eight seals.

Whether it's seal formation, jutsu execution, or timing in battle, these are aspects where young ninjas like Yu cannot compare to someone with Lord Third's seasoned expertise.

Shuriken—as everyone knows, it's the standard way for every ninja in the Hokage world to greet each other in combat, a skill mastered by all.

However, according to Yu's thorough analysis, throughout the entire anime, there has yet to be a character whose name is associated with dying from a shuriken.

Shurikens may indeed be considered low-tier, but they have their unique advantages.

Firstly, shurikens provide a long-range attack method, and they are faster to deploy than casting Ninjutsu.

Usually, when facing enemies at medium to long distances, throwing shurikens directly is often a more efficient choice than spending time forming seals to unleash Ninjutsu.

Secondly, shurikens do not consume Chakra, making them a low-cost tactical option in a ninja's combat repertoire.

"Hahaha!"

"You still have a long way to go, you little rascal!"

Seeing Yu looking frustrated, Lord Third couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"But... you haven't even used your Kekkei Genkai."

"So, in today's sparring session, let's consider it even between us!"

Lord Third naturally didn't forget that Yu still had his unique Kekkei Genkai, the Thread Release, that he hadn't employed.

In the brief battle just now, Yu was able to confront Lord Third for such a long time solely based on his proficiency in Ninjutsu. Lord Third estimated Yu's current strength and concluded that, even without considering his Kekkei Genkai, Yu was already on par with an ordinary Jonin.

A seven-year-old Jonin with a Kekkei Genkai...

It's truly abnormal...

Looking at Yu before him, still carrying a hint of childishness, Lord Third couldn't help but feel a sense of awe for the formidable potential of the younger generation.

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